Gino DePinto, AOL Before British quartet Yuck claimed their indie-darling title at SXSW this year, teenaged friends Max Bloom and Daniel Blumberg were in another band called Cajun Dance Party that only managed to release the 2008 album 'Colourful Life.' "It happened very quickly and I was very young and it was just so weird because it ...

Cobracamanda When Los Angeles noise group Gowns parted ways in 2010, EMA, aka South Dakota native Erika M. Anderson, mustered up her strength and unleashed her debut solo record 'Past Life Martyred Saints,' a combustible, heart-on-a-sleeve post-breakup album. Despite defiantly singing, "F--- California" in the opening line of her song ...

Das Racist New York rap trio Das Racist generated a buzz in 2009 with their comical song 'Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell,' which was more of a commentary on the fast food business than a tune about getting high and eating Gorditas. Since then, Himanshu Suri (Heems), Victor Vazquez (Kool A.D.) and their hype man Ashok Kondabolu (Dap) ...

Jerritt Clark, Getty Images With the release of three EPs, an endless world tour that included a recent stop at the Pitchfork Music Festival and now a Mercury Prize nomination for his self-titled debut record, James Blake is having an excellent 2011. "I feel really happy about it," the dubstep musician tells Spinner. "It's amazing. I'm not ...

The average lifespan of a band involves everything from playing gigs to breaking up then eventually reuniting, but a fictional band can experience all of the growing pains in one movie or TV episode. Sometimes these make-believe acts are silly and sometimes they're actually good enough to make viewers want ...

Nigel Crane, Redferns While walking in his neighborhood one night last June, Chicago-based Madina Lake bassist Matthew Leone tried to assist a woman who was being assaulted by her husband. During the altercation, the man crushed Leone's skull. At the hospital, the rocker flatlined three times, underwent two surgeries and had one-third of his ...

Jon Willis With only their second live show ever as a duo, Joy Williams and John Paul White of the Civil Wars recorded a live album at Eddie's Attic in Decatur, Ga. in 2009 and released the record as a free download through their MySpace page, which eventually garnered over 100,000 downloads. Fiercely independent, the Wars have strategically ...